The overall objective of this research is to improve our understanding of the membrane mechanisms which modulate cell-to-cell communication in mature, developing and cancerous cells. Studies will be carried out on mammalian eye lens and rat stomach in an attempt to correlate changes in gap junction structure with changes in their electrical resistivity. Other studies will test the effects of uncoupling agents and their possible competitors on isolated lens junction preparations. Attempts to define the protein composition of gap junctions and the possible changes in protein configuration caused by their interaction with uncoupling agents will be made on lens and liver junctions purified by sucrose density gradient centrifugation and detergent treatment. Various methodologies including thin sectioning, membrane fractionation, SDS PAGE, intracellular recordings etc. will be applied.